With Fallon's game-saving rejection, Red Bank Catholic, No. 3 in The Star-Ledger's Top 20, held on to defeat No. 5 Point Pleasant Boro, 50-46, in the Shore Conference Tournament final on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch.

"Kelly Hughes can make a shot from halfcourt, and we all know that," Fallon said. "We made switching on the pick and pops a major focus going into this game. It was obviously a crucial point in the game, but just to get a little fingertip on it can make a difference."

Fallon had more than a fingertip on the outcome of the game.

The 6-foot junior finished with 10 points, four rebounds, and three blocks to help pace top-seeded Red Bank Catholic to its sixth Shore Conference title since 2000.

Fallon scored five points on a 7-0 run to close out the third quarter. The run helped erase a Point Pleasant Boro streak in which Hughes dropped in seven point of her game-high 28 points to cut Red Bank Catholic's lead to 26-25.

"We started to find the holes more as we kept playing," Fallon said. "It was important because we got our shooters their shots."

One of those shooters was Alex Alfano, who dropped in a team-high 15 points and shot 3-for-5 from behind the arc. In the first quarter, Alfano contributed a 3-pointer that opened an early 9-5 lead. That early advantage was established by 4-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Caroline Corcoran contributed two of the first-quarter 3-pointers. The senior guard added her final three points on a timely long-range shot that opened an eight-point lead for Red Bank Catholic halfway through the fourth quarter.

But after Corcoran's 3-pointer, Hughes led a comeback with five straight points to bring Point Pleasant Boro within one point with less than a minute to play. Hughes, however, was called for extending her arm on a player-control foul that surrendered the possession back to Red Bank Catholic.

Mary Kate Caverly then dropped in her seventh and eight free throws of the game to give Red Bank Catholic a 3-point cushion.

"Mary Kate has done this for us all year long," coach Joe Montano said of his senior guard, who finished with 12 points. "She wants to be on the foul line, and she killed herself shooting the basketball working on it."

Montano said Caverly's work ethic is indicative of his team's character.

"It's about these kids," he said. "This team, out of all the teams I've had that won the Shore Conference, really exemplifies what a team's about. That's something I'm most proud of."